Door check and closer.



J. FAIRHALL, JR.

DOOR CHECK AND CLOSER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.27.1907.

@EEEEEQ PATENTED JULY 21, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

No. 898,991. PATENTED JULY 21, 1908. J. FAIRHALL, JR. DOOR CHECK AND CLOSER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 27, 1907.

2 SHEETSSHBET 2.

8% at Tm MM C W I a citizen of the United States, and a JOSEPH FAIRHALL, JR., OF DANVILLE, ILLINOIS.

DOOR CHECK AND CLOSER.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 21, 1908.

Application filed November 27, 1907. Serial No. 404,092.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be itknown that I, J OSEPH FAIRHALL, Jr., resident of Danville, in the county of Vermilion and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Door Check and Closer, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact descri tion.

his invention relates to door checks and closers, and is particularly useful in connection with sliding doors for electric and other elevators. An object of the invention is to rovide a simple, strong and efficient door 0 eck and closer, by means of which a door when opened can be automatically returned to its shut position, positively, and substantially silently.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the class described, by means of which a sliding door can be automatically closed firmly and with a minimum of noise, and which permits the door to be opened with the expenditure of little effort.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which simil ar'characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views,

' andin which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a part of an elevator showing my invention ap ied to the door thereof; Fig. 2 is an enlarges elevation of the invention, showing parts broken away and parts in cross section; Fig. 3 is an en larged front elevation of a art of the mechanism; Fig. 4 is an enlarge end-elevation of the same part of the devlce; and Fig. 5 is an enlar ed longitudinal section of the cylinder and p unger which effect the gradual closing Before proceeding to a more detailed explanation of my invention, it should be understood that the same is particularl useful in connection with sliding doors of e evators and the like, though it can be advanta; geously employed with doors of different construction and used for difierent purposes. In certain forms of elevators which are electrically driven, it is absolutely necessary that the doors be fully closed when the elevator is in operation, as the arrangement is such that the circuits of the driving motors are interrupted as long as the doors are open.

Consequently, in an elevator of this kindit is essential that the door be closed positively when the elevator is to be run. My door check and closer when applied to an elevator of this type insures that the driving motors are always su plied with current when necessary, as the evice positively closes the door whenever the latter is not held open by the hand of the elevator operator or. in some other manner.

' Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 represents the well of an elevator having a sliding door 2. The latter is carried by hangers 3 having rollers 4 arranged to travel u on a track 5. The latter is preferabl inc ined in the direction of movement 0 the door when the latter is closing, so that the shutting of the door is ravitationally assisted by the weight of't e same. On the upper edge of the door is rigidly mounted a journal bracket 6, pivotally carrying the end of an arm of a toggle lever 7. The arm of the toggle lever com rises parts 8 and 8 united by a turn buc e 9, by means of which it can be lengthened or shortened. The other arm 10 of the toggle lever, is pivotally connected in any preferred or common manner to the arm 8, and at the end remote from the arm 8 has a sleeve 11 rigid therewith. An extension 12 is slidably arranged" within the sleeve 11, and has a flange 12 at its upper end and serving a purpose which will I appear hereinafter, and is provided at its lower end with a head 13. A spring 13 within the sleeve tends to resist the movement of the parts, of the arm 10 one upon the other.

A support 14, is rigidly secured in any convenient manner upon the frame of the ele Vator adjacent to ,the door 2. It comprises an upper'plate 14 and a downwardly disose plate 14 by means of which it can. be olted or. otherwise secured to the frame. Upon the plate 14 are arranged bearing brackets 15 in which is rotatably mounted a shaft '16 having at one end a crank 17. The head 13 of the toggle lever is rigidly mounted upon the shaft 16 between the bearing brackets 15, and has extending therefrom separated crank arms 18. The crank 17 has a crank pin 19 and between the crank arms 18 is arranged a crank pin 20. A downwardly disposed bracket 2 1 is rlg dly secured to the under side of the plate 14f and has near its lower ends. pivot bolt 22. A cylinder 23 has the lower end threaded and carries a correspondingly threaded cap 24 serving as a cylinder head. The pivot bolt 22 extends through a suitable opening of an ear 22 of the cap and pivotally supports the c linder. A cylinder head 25 suitably t readed is mounted upon the correspondingly threaded upper end of the cylinder. The head 25 has an extension 26 forming with a cap 27, a stuffing-box provided with a gland 28. A piston 29 is slidably mounted within the cylinder, and has'a rod 30 extending through suitable openings of the cylinder head and stuffing-box. upper end 31 suitably formed to be ivotally mounted upon the crank pin 20, so that when the shaft 16 is moved in one direction or the other, the piston 29 is correspondingly actuate'd within the cylinder. The piston 29 has openings 32 therethrough, adapted to be closed by a valve disk 33. I The latter is loosely arranged upon"a screw stud 34, carried in suitable threaded openings of the piston and piston rod and is normally held closed by a spring 33. The piston has afurther smaller opening 35 therethrough, which is independent of the valve disk 30. The cylinder is partially filled with a liquid 36 consisting of oil or the like, and serving a purpose which will appear hereinafter.

A cylindrical casing is secured in any approved manner to the under side of the support 14 and has a threaded rod 38 arranged in an opening at the lower end thereof. A spring 39 is arranged within the casing 37 resting upon the head 40 of the rod 38. The spring surrounds an arm 41 pivotally mounted upon the crank pin 19 by means of a head 42 and extends with the spring through an opening of the support into the casing. The upper end of the spring 39 engages at the under side of the head 42 and resists a downward movement of the crank. By means of the threaded rod 38 whichengages the lower end of the spring the tension of the same can be suitably adjusted.

When the door 2 is opened, the toggle lever is extended and this extension of the lever rotates the shaft 1 6which is rigidly connected with the arm 10. The rotation of the shaft correspondingly moves the cranks 17'and 18, so that the piston 29 is moved upwardly in the cylinder 23 while the spring 39 is compressed between the threaded rod 38 andthe ead 42 of the rod 41. The upward movement of the iston 29 is resisted to a slight degree only, y the liquid 36 within the cylinder, as the latter can freely escape from the upper side of the piston to the under side through the openings 32. It will be understood that during the upward movement of the piston the liquid, in passing through the openings holds the 'valve 33 open. As the cylinder is pivotally supported by the pin 22, it can swing so that it automatically adjusts itself to the movement of the crank 18.

The rod 30 has itssaid member When the door is released, the spring 39 which has been compressed by the opening of the door, instantly acts to return the sameto a closed position. The expansion of the spring rotates the shaft 16 through the crank 17, and this movement ofthe shaft forces the iston 29 downwardly in the cylinder. At

rst the movement of the door is rapid, but as soon as the piston enters the liquid which partially fills the cylinder, the movement of the door is retarded, as the openings 32 are closed by the disk 33. and the liquid cannot escape with the upper side of the piston through the opening 35. Thus the door is closed positively, but without concussion, by the device- At thesame time the movement of the door to a closed position is assisted by the weight of the door itself as it is hung by. means of its rollers and hangers upon the inclined track 5.

To avoid the use of a toggle lever of too great a length, the arm 10 of the lever is extensible. Thus, when the door is opened the sleeve 11 slides with respect to the extension 12 until it is stopped by the flange 12 of the latter. When the door is closed, the arm 10 is in a substantially vertical position and the parts of the same telescope gravitationally. The spring 13 assists the parts to telescope. By means of the turnbuckle 9 the length of the arm 8 can be adjusted within certain limits. If necessary, the closer canbe reversed and used to push the door shut instead of pulling it into a closed position. In this case, the respective locations of the piston and the spring are changed to accomplish the desired purpose.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent rapidity from the under side to 1. In a door check and closer, the combination, with a door and its frame, of a member pivotally mounted on the door, a second member pivotally secured to said first member, mechanism mounted upon said frame and adapted to control said second member, means operatively connected to said mechanism and serving to resist the closing movement of said door, and means also operatively connected with said mechanism and independent of said first means, and serving to.

close the door.

2. In a door check and closer, the combination, with a door and its frame, of a support mounted upon said frame, a member rotatably carried by said support, a lever arm rigid with said member, a second lever arm pivotally connected with said first lever arm and pivoted upon said .door, means controlling to resist the rotation thereof to close said door, and means independent of said first means and controlling said member to rotate the same to close said door.

3. In'a door check and closer, the combination, with a door and its frame, of a toggle lever having an arm pivotally secured to said door, and a second arm comprising telescopically movable parts, mechanism 0 eratively connected with said second arm an mounted upon said door frame, means controlling said mechanism to resist a movement of said lever to close said door, and means controlling said mechanism to move said lever to close said door.

4. In a door check and closer, the combination, with a door and its frame, of a toggle lever having an arm pivotally secured to said door, and a second arm, mechanism operatively connected with said second arm and mounted upon said frame, resilient means controlling said mechanism to'move said lever to close sa1d door, and means lndependdent of said resilient means, and serving to .resist a movement of said lever to close said door, said second means including a fluid resisting medium, one of said lever arms being extensible, said lever being operable in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of movement of said door.

5. In a door check and closer, the combination, with a door and its'frame, of a toggle lever having an arm pivotally secured to said door, and a second arm, a rotary member having cranks mounted upon said door frame, a cylinder, a piston in said cylinder and operatively connected with one of said cranks, said piston having a valve opening in one direction, said second arm being rigid with one of said cranks, and a spring secured to another of said cranks and resisting the outward movement thereof and serving to close said door.

6. In a door check and closer, the combination, with a door and its frame, of a toggle lever having an arm pivotally secured to said door, and a second arm comprising teles'copic sections, a rotary member mounted upon said door frame and having cranks, said second arm having a section rigid with one of said cranks, a cylinder, a piston in said cylinder and operatively connected with another of said cranks, said piston having means for ermitting the flow of a fluid therethroug in one d1rection rapidly, and in the opposite direction slowly, and a s ring operatlvely connected with another 0 said cranks and serving to resist the outward movement thereof, whereby it serves to close said door.

7. In a door check and closer, the combination, with a door and its frame, of a member pivotally mounted on said door, a second member pivotally secured to said first member and comprising telescopic sections, reslhent means to resist the GXiJGIlSlOII of sa1d sections, mechanism mounted upon said frame .and adapted to control said second.

member, means operatively connected to said mechanism and serving to resist the closing movement of said door, and means also operatively connected with said mechanism and serving to close said door.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribin witnesses.

OSEPH FAIRHALL, JR.

Witnesses:

CHARLES WATKINS, JAS. H. PHILLIP. 

